The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) announced today the second consecutive year of record-breaking attendance at its Annual Technology and Business Conference. The 2010 conference garnered the attention of stakeholders from across the healthcare industry – pharmacy benefit managers, retail and independent pharmacies, software vendors, manufacturers, wholesale distributors, database management organizations, health plans, associations and others – to discuss the future of healthcare information technology and healthcare reform, and celebrate the contributions the organization has made to transforming the industry.

Lee Ann Stember, President of NCPDP, kicked off the event with the State of the Association address, highlighting the organization’s leadership and achievements in providing industry standards and expert counsel to government agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC).

“For over 30 years, NCPDP has orchestrated solutions to challenges that have plagued the healthcare system – from the Universal Claim Form to ePrescribing,” explained Stember. “With healthcare reform a national priority, our role has been vaulted into the spotlight. We are pleased to lend our expertise to support government efforts to shape healthcare legislation and regulation, and remain committed to our charge to enhance the quality and efficiency of the healthcare system. We invite all healthcare and pharmacy industry stakeholders to be a part of this historic transformation.”

Anchored by an engaging industry roundtable discussion moderated by Wayne Oliver, Center for Health Transformation (CHT), and comprised of key representatives from HITRUST Alliance, Kaiser Permanente, Vanderbilt University, Prematics and Emdeon, the conference agenda included ACPE-accredited educational sessions and topics that spanned medication therapy management to Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) activities, to market trends and regulatory issues. An inspiring conference Keynote address was delivered by Chris Gardner, author of the book, “The Pursuit of Happyness.”

During the conference, NCPDP announced election results for its Board of Trustees and recipients of top industry awards:

Election Results

• Newly elected Board Members include: James P. Andrews, R.Ph., Cypress Care, Inc.; Bob Beckley, Surescripts; Annette Gabel, Medco Health Services, Inc.; Nancy J. Nemes, CatalystRx; and Darren Townzen, R.Ph., MBA, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Re-elected for a second term on the Board of Trustees was Michele Vilaret Davidson, R.Ph., Walgreen Co.
• Board of Trustees already serving include: Thomas R. Bizzaro, R.Ph., First DataBank; Dale A. Chamberlain, Gateway Pharmacy Consulting; Alan K. Gardner, MBA, RxResults, LLC; John Lavin, MBA, MPH, CVS/Caremark; Perry Lewis, StoneRiver; Frank McKinney, Frank McKinney Group, LLC; Scott M. Robertson, Pharm.D., Kaiser Permanente; Thomas “TJ” Sheehan, MBA, Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.; and Laura Topor, Granada Health, LLC.
• Dale Chamberlain was appointed Chair and Annette Gabel was appointed Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees.
• Outgoing Board members include: Marla Brickley, Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.; Dan Hardin, R.Ph., MBA, SXC Health Solutions, Inc.; Charlie Oltman, MBA, Target Corporation; Marjorie K. Simos, BA Pharmacy, JenKare, LLC, and Margaret Weiker, HP.

Award Recipients

• NCPDP named Dan Hardin of SXC Health Solutions as recipient of its prestigious TIME (The Individual Member Excellence) Award.
• Annette Gabel, Medco Health Services, was presented the Benjamin D. Ward Distinguished Member Award.
• Robert Edward Franz, Medco Health Services, received the Rising Star Award.

For more information on NCPDP, visit http://ncpdp.org/member_benefits.aspx.

NCPDP’s 2011 Annual Technology and Business Conference will be held May 15-19, 2011, at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa in Phoenix.

About NCPDP

Founded in 1977, NCPDP is a not-for-profit, ANSI-accredited, Standards Development Organization with over 1500 members representing virtually every sector of the pharmacy services industry. Our diverse membership provides leadership and healthcare business solutions through education and standards, created using the consensus building process. NCPDP has been named in federal legislation, including HIPAA and the MMA. NCPDP members have created standards such as the Telecommunication Standard and Batch Standard, the SCRIPT Standard for e-Prescribing, the Manufacturers Rebate Standard and more to improve communication within the pharmacy industry. Our data services include the NCPDP Provider Identification Number, a unique identifier of over 75,000 pharmacies, and HCIdea, “The Prescriber Identity Solution.” For more information about NCPDP Standards, Data Services, Educational Programs and Work Group meetings, go online at www.ncpdp.org or call (480) 477-1000.